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SEC Power Poll, Week 9: It's LSUBamageddon As We Know It, And I Feel Fine

Cocktail Party win behind me, layup out-of-conference game ahead of me -- one that will allow me to sit back, relax and drink in the Alabama-LSU game? You're darn right I'm feeling saucy. (That Bama-LSU matchup is the national championship game in everything but name, by the way -- everything after that is just exhibitions.)

Keep your eyes peeled at Team Speed Kills for the final poll to be tallied on Wednesday.

1. LSU -- Here's the deal: I think Alabama has the better defense, and I think the two offenses are basically a push, but LSU has played the tougher schedule. That's why the Tigers are in the top spot . . .

2. Alabama -- . . . but if you put a gun to my head and told me to bet money on Nick Saban losing this kind of big game at home with the defense he's got, I'd tell you to just shoot me already.

3. Georgia -- Was it a pretty game in Jacksonville? Not remotely. But two-TD comebacks with a beaten-up roster, against teams like Florida -- even mediocre teams like Florida -- are something the Dawgs haven't pulled off successfully in a while. (That said, there's a yoooooge dropoff from No. 2 to No. 3 here.)

4. Arkansas -- Nearly finding ways to lose against Ole Miss and Vandy in back-to-back weeks? This isn't going to help your campaign for elite status, Hogs.

5. Auburn -- The Tigers are 89th nationally in total offense, 74th in total defense, 104th in passing offense and 49th in turnover margin -- and yet they're 6-3. Apparently whatever deal Gene Chizik made with the devil didn't expire upon Cam Newton's departure.

6. South Carolina -- OK, great, you outscored a banged-up Tennessee squad that couldn't find the end zone with a team of bloodhounds and a GPS. Let's see you keep up with Arkansas without Marcus Lattimore there to pave the way.

7. Vanderbilt -- How heartening to see James Franklin continue Vandy's proud recent tradition of almost beating sorta-OK teams.

8. Florida -- For a half, it almost looked like the Gators might be mounting an offense again -- and then Georgia got their suspended defensive players back on the field and everything came apart. In the words of one of the Florida fans I stayed with over the weekend, "John Brantley looks like QWOP."

9. Mississippi State -- Fine job against Kentucky, gentlemen. Shall we mail your Liberty Bowl tickets to you or just leave them at Will Call?

10. Tennessee -- I'd say "Right now it's just a matter of getting to six wins and earning that bowl invite," but at this point the Vanderbilt game frankly looks like a pick'em at best.

11. Ole Miss -- If games only lasted 30 minutes, we might be talking about a Vols-Rebels SEC title game right now.

12. Kentucky -- Their home loss to Ole Miss this weekend should cement them as not just the worst SEC team of the season but perhaps of the past decade.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.